1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air intake duct arrangement for an internal combustion engine whose cylinder head is fastened to the body of a motor vehicle by way of a damping element, the cylinder head being closed by a set of timing gear cases, and the intake duct consisting of an intermediate portion joined, on the one hand, to an upstream portion connected to a heat exchanger, and, on the other hand, to a downstream portion channeling air toward an intake manifold, the upstream and downstream portions being fastened to the intermediate portion.
2. Discussion of the Background
In the conventional architecture of a motor vehicle engine block, the ducts supplying the engine with gas or collecting the exhaust gases are not installed in such a way as to optimize gas flow. This is because these ducts are positioned within the tight confines of the engine block, between the wiring, the water ducts, the air conditioning ducts and the fuel ducts. Most of the time, this type of duct winds its way around the engine block and the structure, restricting the shape of the duct to the detriment of its function.
One of the disadvantages of the air intake ducts of an engine is that they take up space in the engine compartment and do not make it easy to incorporate other components. Furthermore, the cross section of the intake duct is not constant because of its shape, and this can lead to pressure drops and cause a reduction in the performance of the internal combustion engine.
Document FR-2548731 proposes to site a timing gear case in the form of a housing fitted with a filter directly on top of the cylinder heads This integration makes it possible to obtain an effective mixing of the exhaust gases with the combustion air, the exhaust duct maintains a complex shape which clutters up the engine compartment and does not optimize the use of space.